'17 Diapers' Mom Spoke About the Challenges of Single Parenting Weeks Before Investigation: 'Can't Do That'
"If you are a solo parent out there ... I commend you, because I sure as heck can't do that," Hiatt said in a video posted Nov. 21
nursehannahbh/TikTok
Hannah HiattIn a video posted on TikTok on Nov. 21, mommy influencer Hannah Hiatt said she recently solo-parented for one day while her husband completed jury duty.
"Being a solo parent — just for a day ... it's frickin' hard," she said in the video. "How do you guys do it?"
Weeks later, police confirmed to PEOPLE that an officer had been assigned to an investigation of Hiatt following a series of videos she posted that were criticized by social media users.
Days before police confirmed to PEOPLE that TikTok influencer Hannah Hiatt was being investigated due to "numerous reports through Child Protective Service and police" following criticism she received online, the Utah woman took to the social media platform to talk about the struggles of parenting.
"If you are a solo parent out there — solo mom or a solo dad, single, solo or whatever it may be — double pat on the back, I commend you, because I sure as heck can't do that," Hiatt said in a video posted on Nov. 21.
In the video, Hiatt explained that she recently had to act as a solo parent while her husband was on jury duty, saying, "I was supposed to do it for like three to four days but lucky, praise ... it was only one day."
"Being a solo parent — just for a day ... it's frickin' hard," she added. "How do you guys do it?
She continued: "Because so many times in the day where I just shove my kids to my husband and say, 'You deal with them, I'm going upstairs' or 'I'm going outside' or 'I'm going on a drive,' or whatever it may be."
"But when you're a solo parent or a single parent, you can't do that," she added. "It is you all day, every day, all night. And going onto the next day, it's just you."
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"I seriously can't imagine being a single parent," Hiatt — who goes by @hannah_bhiatt on the platform and previously went by @nursehannahbh — added.
Weeks later, Hiatt was the subject of an investigation sparked by criticism she received for a series of videos she posted on TikTok, including one in which she counted 17 dirty diapers strewn around her house, and another in which her son James appears to briefly flinch and hide his face while his dad walks toward him.
When Hiatt posted the videos, commenters weighed in, many of them criticizing her parenting.
That criticism reached a crescendo and made its way to the Ogden, Utah, Police Department, which confirmed to PEOPLE in December that "there is an open, active investigation into" Hiatt, due to "numerous reports" made through Child Protective Service and the police department.
"There is a detective assigned to the case," a spokesperson for the department told PEOPLE. The spokesperson did not elaborate on what the investigation would entail or if there would be public updates forthcoming.
Hiatt has not responded to PEOPLE's request for comment.
Related: New Mom Speaks Out After Video of Her Finding 17 Dirty Diapers in Her Home Goes Viral (Exclusive)
Hiatt recently made waves following the 17 diapers video and, speaking to PEOPLE in an earlier interview, said she had "no idea" it would go viral, adding, "I just pulled out my phone and filmed a funny video. I didn’t think it was going to be controversial or honestly attract attention whatsoever."
Weeks later, the video in which her son could be seen flinching as his father walked near him led to more controversy, with many commenters expressing concern for the boy's safety.
In a follow-up video posted on Nov. 29, Hiatt said her husband is the "sweetest, nicest, kindest, most loving, most nurturing father in the entire world."
"In the video that you guys are all freaking out about, they're just playing," she added. "They're always playing where they scare each other. ... that's what they're always doing."
She continued: "Nothing's going on. From the moment that my husband wakes up in the morning, to the second he goes to bed, he is only thinking about our children and our family and what's best for us."
In another video, posted on Nov. 20, Hiatt slammed those comparing her to another mommy influencer: former YouTuber Ruby Franke, who was sentenced to prison in February 2024 after receiving four convictions each of aggravated child abuse.
"It's hilarious, really," Hiatt said in her video of the comparisons. "We live in a world nowadays where people will turn nothing into something. We live in a world where people are so desperate to become TikTok famous, they will post about anything in order to get views for themselves. They don't care if it's going to bring someone down with it, they just want to become TikTok famous."
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